It should have been three
by elliotbennet
Summary: Oliver is gone and the team is trying their best to carry on and hope for the best, but after a few weeks one of them is unwilling to just sit around and wait and so Felicity comes up with a plan to track him down and bring him home.
1. Chapter 1

Day 1

He should have known three things. This was the thought that woke Felicity from a very fitful sleep that first night. It stabbed at her heart like a sharpened blade. Now that it had invaded her mind and soul it was with her every moment. Every moment she didn't keep herself so busy that there was no room in her mind for it that is. Consequently Palmer Technologies cogeneration project was about six months ahead of schedule, the arrow cave had a host of new gadgets and programs, some courtesy of Cisco, but all installed, tested and refined by Felicity and Starling City was practically crime free.

Days 2-7

This final consequence was a team effort for sure. Like herself Dig and Roy both seemed to want to stay close to Verdant, each other and Felicity as much as possible, work as hard as possible and speak as little as possible about their missing leader. Every night since that very first one Felicity sat in her usual seat directing them to where the criminals plied their trade and the boys dispatched them with alacrity. Laurel continued to prosecute their catches though she was keeping her distance from their nightly activities. On occasion she and Felicity would touch base in daylight hours for the former to pass on information essential to the prosecution of certain captured ne'er do wells, but Laurel always wanted to talk about Oliver and speculate on where he was, why he had not returned and whether they should go after him. Felicity found these exchanges acutely painful and so she was grateful the rest of the team was not subjected to them. She suspected Laurel blamed them for not stopping Oliver, but she never asked because that was not a conversation she wanted to have. Felicity would defend Roy and Diggle to Laurel no problem if it came to that. What she couldn't do was defend herself and lately she kept wondering if she was the only one who had had the power to stop him after all. Of course Laurel would never have suspected this. Hence her refusal to open said can of worms. Bottle it up and pretend it's not there. The new motto of team Arrow. Or at least this one particular team member.

In those painful conversations Laurel was also the only one who gave voice to what everyone was thinking which may have seemed brave or important, but to Felicity it seemed just the opposite. It was easy to articulate the pressing questions about Oliver all over someone else who cared about him, but what did that get you but a moment of relief from inside your own head and a compatriot in your pain who had no more answers than you? No she would stick to the bottle it up and pretend way of doing things.

Not that she wasn't wondering all of these things herself. She was. It had been one week and they had not heard anything. Why had no one thought to inquire more minutely in to how this whole duel with the head of the League of Assassins thing worked? Did it happen right away? How long did it take for him to get where he was going? What if he needed help getting back because he was injured? She doubted the League would pitch in with medical supplies and know how if he had just killed their leader. She knew why Oliver had not shared the location with anyone. He was afraid they would follow and he wanted to protect them. Stupid man. But as she wondered all of these things, as she tried to answer all of these unanswerable questions she kept coming back to that one thought – he should have known three things, but she left him with only those two. And maybe this was the real reason she didn't want to share her thoughts, her pain. Because hers revolved around those two things that should have been three.

Those brief moments before he left were etched in her mind. When she begged him to kill Ra's Al Ghul even though she knew this would be hard for him as he had evolved beyond the killer who had returned from Lian Yu two years ago. But what else could he do? He had to kill. And he had said he would do what she asked. Granted that was before she actually asked. But his answer, his answer broke her heart. She remembered every word he said. Almost as clearly as she remembered the words she didn't say.

"Felicity, I honestly don't know if I'm a killer anymore, but I do know two things. The first is that whoever I am I am someone who will do whatever, whatever it takes to save my sister."

"And the second thing?"

"I love you." He stood there for a beat and then turned and left.

And she had stood there like an idiot. Like a mute, immobile, dumbstruck idiot. The words were not a revelation in and of themselves. It was the second time he had said them. Even though the first was part of a plan to trick Slade she still had heard them from his lips before and so they should not have been so shocking and arresting. He had as good as said them the night at the hospital and she knew he had wanted to say them after they had rescued her Mom. But she had stopped him. The words shouldn't have shocked her in to immobility. But they did. It was so Oliver. He had the ability to make her feel such a spectrum of emotions. These words filled her with a hopeful kind of joy. They sent butterflies careening in to one another in her stomach. They filled her up to the point of overflowing. In this moment they also made her angry. That now, after all they had been through he could stand in front of her and declare something so profound and life altering when he was leaving, when he was possibly dying. He dropped them like they were meant as an end and not a beginning.

But she wasn't really angry at him for saying those beautiful words. Timing wasn't important when it came to expressing love. She was angry at herself. How could she have let him go without telling him? He should have left knowing that she loved him. He should have known that no matter that he tried to push her away and no matter that she tried to stop she couldn't. She loved him, deeply, recklessly and at times pointlessly and he should have had that knowledge. How could she have stayed silent?

It wasn't a choice though. When she realized that she was standing there like an unfeeling moron she ran after him but he was gone. Stupid arrow stealth and speed. She knew she could never find him.

And so she waited for his return. They all did. And she told herself that he would know that third thing someday soon. She would make sure of it.

Day 8

Now, after a week Dig brought up the Arrow's absence coinciding with Oliver Queen's open ended vacation to South America, which had been a tough sell to Thea in the first place. They didn't want to arouse her or anyone else's suspicions.

"I think I need to don my old Arrow costume." He said exactly eight days after Oliver had left. "We can't have Oliver returning to any suspicions about his identity. There are too many sites and fan groups dedicated to tracking him to think no one is watching that sort of thing."

"I agree with the idea that someone needs to be the Arrow until he gets back." Roy agreed placing his bow in its holder. This was the only way they spoke of Oliver – when he returns, until he gets back . . . "but you are not exactly an expert with a bow and arrow."

"True," Diggle agreed with a small smile. "But if Arsenal disappears I think the kind of people we are trying to throw off would realize that you are simply going from red to green."

"And what will they think when you can't hit jack with your bow?" Roy challenged.

"They won't see me in action with a weapon only the criminals will and they don't exactly get to hold press conferences."

Before Roy could respond Diggle called on Felicity to weigh in.

"I agree with Diggle." She said even though she hated the idea of anyone pretending to be Oliver.

"Okay then. Diggle suits up in green tomorrow." Roy agreed. Felicity was both surprised and pleased at how easily the guys deferred to her. She knew neither of them had ever been interested in running things but was somewhat shocked when they approached her asking if she would, as they put it "take point" while Oliver was away. That had happened on day 3 of his absence. This was how she measured time now. Everything that happened was tracked by when it happened in relationship to Day 1 without Oliver.

And so she had become the captain of Team Arrow on Day 4. Felicity took a childish sort of pleasure in calling it that, if only in her head, knowing Oliver hated the name. Let him come back and argue with me about it she thought. She prayed. She dreamed.

Day 15

About a week into Dig's going out in green Felicity noted with pleasure that the papers, online fan sites and news stations had all carried a number of stories about his exploits. That meant it had been two weeks since Oliver had been gone and Felicity was about out of patience. She had been running facial recognition all over the world and keeping tabs on every credit card Oliver still had, including the two he thought she didn't know about. One of those had been used to buy a plane ticket to Coast City the day Oliver left, but nothing after that. Since none of her usual tactics were working she had devised a plan that was decidedly unusual not to mention it violated at least one, possibly two, of Oliver clearly and loudly articulated rules. No, he would not be happy if it worked.

After three weeks Felicity no longer cared about his happiness, only his existence. He could rail at her for the rest of their lives as long as he had a rest of his life and so on day 24 she told the guys what she wanted to do . . .


	2. Chapter 2

First of all my profuse apologies for the delay between chapters. Second of all and in a related story I apologize for the brief nature of this chapter. I wanted to get it out! I will post an update tomorrow to make up for it. Thank you for reading and let me know what you think. I love hearing reading all the stories guessing at what might happen when we get Arrow back! I'm sure we're all a lot wrong, but maybe a little right?!

After three weeks Felicity no longer cared about his happiness, only his existence. He could rail at her for the rest of their lives as long as he had a rest of his life and so on day 24 she told the guys what she wanted to do . . .

Day 25

"This is a bad plan." Felicity said bouncing on her toes as Roy lifted his hand to knock on the door. At her pronouncement he hesitated.

"It's your plan, Felicity." Diggle reminded her through her earpiece.

"I know, but what I don't know is how I keep talking you guys in to my crazy ideas."

"You're very persuasive." Roy offered.

"And other than this admittedly insane option we have no idea how to find Oliver." Diggle put in and Felicity silently thanked him for not saying, for never saying, what they all worried about – that this was the only way to find out if Oliver was even alive.

"You're right." She said taking a deep breath and knocking confidently on Thea's door.

"I'll have eyes on you as soon as you're inside." Came Digg's reassuring voice. Felicity nodded in acknowledgment even though she knew he couldn't see her. Roy squeezed her hand just as the door opened.

"Felicity, Roy." She said smiling, but with surprise evident in her tone. "What are you guys doing here, together?"

"No we're not together," Felicity began to explain. "That is not something we . . . have not even considered. I mean not that Roy's not attractive. Between him, Dig and your brother I feel like I am surrounded by hot guys all the time. Not that you want to hear about how gorgeous I think your brother is, or your ex-boyfriend probably. Maybe we could bond over Dig's hotness?"

When Felicity finally took a breath and seemed to realize the inappropriateness of her babbling Roy spoke up.

"Can we come in?"

"Sure." Thea said stepping back allowing them to enter the spacious apartment she shared with Oliver. Felicity had been inside only once when Oliver asked her to stop by before work one day to help him figure out an issue with his tablet. She had told him to come by her office but he seemed really reluctant so of course she did as he asked. The combination of Oliver and technology in need was too much for her to resist. Thea had done some decorating since then. Although so much larger and grander than anything Felicity would ever own or most places she even visited she had to give Thea credit for making it seem homey and not ostentatious and overbearing like the mansion.

"Come in and sit down." Thea was saying when Felicity pulled herself out of these random reflections. Hoping she hadn't missed anything else she moved to the couch Thea had indicated and sat down beside Roy. "I would offer you something to eat or drink, but I have nothing. I am expecting a delivery of groceries later today, but I have been living on takeout and trips to the bodega. I am pitiful."

There was an awkward silence as Thea waited for her two unexpected guests to explain their unexpected visit. Felicity had been very sure of this plan before she had Thea Queen before her. She was not intimidated by the very expensive clothes and expertly coordinated jewelry. Nor the hair that looked at once flawless and careless or even the perfectly applied make-up. Felicity was not even daunted by the new things she noticed about Thea since they had discovered her closer connection to Merlyn. Like how she held herself in a way similar to Oliver with a tense alertness. She also regarded them in a way that made Felicity feel like they were being seized up. It brought to mind the conversation she had with Oliver on their ill-fated date. He had told her that after the island he couldn't stop seeing people as targets . . . until her. Blocking out that last part, as best she could, Felicity was able to discern that Thea seemed to be assessing her and Roy this way. Oliver had been hesitant to believe Thea capable of lying to him, capable of . . . well what she did, but Felicity was not bound by filial loyalty or prejudice. She noted all of these things, but was not cowed by them. What really made her hesitate and doubt herself was the openness she could still see in Thea. The kind friendliness that was not as bubbly and obvious as it had once been but was definitely still there. This was the sister Oliver loved more than his own life and wanted to protect. This gave Felicity pause.

Since Oliver had gone to face the League on her behalf Felicity had investigated his sister quite thoroughly. So she knew things. She knew Thea met with her father at least two times a week. She knew they trained together and judging by the way she moved during those sessions, the angle of the only camera she could place out of sight two floors up outside the warehouse they used was not ideal, Thea was not exactly a beginner. Her finances had also clearly been Merlyned as she was once again practically up to billionaire standards. Not that she did much with it. Thea essentially worked at the club, worked on her apartment or trained with her father. There were none of the shopping trips, nights of clubbing or whirlwind weekend trips that had characterized her life before Slade had descended on Starling. Yeah, Felicity had taken Thea up as a hobby because truth be told she knew this moment might be necessary from the first morning she woke up and had no news from Oliver. Information had always been Felicity's source of power so she collected as much as she could and now she was ready to use it.

"Thea, we are here to tell you things and then we have something important we need to ask of you."

"Okay." Thea answered cautiously her eyes bouncing from Roy to Felicity. Roy simply nodded and watched Felicity. She knew he believed in this plan. He was the first to endorse it. She desperately hoped he was not blinded by past feelings in his assessment of Thea's potential willingness to help them and you know not try and kill them instead or worse sick her Dad on them.

"Is this about Oliver?" Thea asked when Felicity couldn't think of how to begin – despite the sixteen practice speeches she had recited in her head over the past few days.

"Yes." Roy answered watching Thea closely. He knew Diggle was too, but he was the one responsible for Felicity's safety. Even though he was fairly confident Thea wouldn't hurt her if only because she seemed hell-bent on keeping her skills and abilities a secret, but he wasn't willing to risk his friend's safety on assumptions about a woman he really knew very little about any more. But right now she seemed mostly curious and eager.

"Have you heard from him because he has not answered any of my calls? All I get are texts and the occasional picture. Is he okay?"

Roy knew Felicity had been texting Thea as Oliver since he left. She had even photo shopped pictures of him against various South American backdrops to make it more convincing. He and Dig both agreed that she had Oliver's terse way of expressing himself and dry sense of humor down. The messages really sounded like him. Roy knew it made him kind of pitiful but he allowed himself to read them once in a while because they made him feel closer to Oliver more than anything else. Even though he found solace in her skills Roy wondered now if she had been so good at presenting the vacationing Oliver that it would now take a lot to convince Thea of the fact that he was not living it up down south.

"We don't know." Felicity answered and Roy recognized that she was using her serious voice. She didn't use it often and he had learned to pay attention when she did. Her babbling voice you could ignore with little consequence, although he paid attention to that too because it was usually pretty entertaining and more often than not involved entirely inappropriate comments about Oliver. Her loud voice meant get out and get out now. Her quiet voice, he hated because it was even more rare than her serious voice and it meant she was sad and Felicity sad was something Roy hated more than almost anything.

"Explain." Thea said in her own version of the serious voice. Roy knew that voice pretty well too. Instead of explaining Felicity handed Thea her phone which Thea took and began to scroll through whatever Felicity had on the screen. Roy guessed it was all the texts and pictures she had sent from Oliver. "You have all of the same texts and pictures as I do from Oliver. Has he been copying you on everything he sent me or are you cyber stalking him? I know you are good at all that technical stuff . . ."

Roy sensed Thea was intentionally avoiding the correct conclusion as it would have been fairly obvious from a review of Felicity's phone that the texts originated from there.

"I am good at all that technical stuff." Felicity confirmed "and that's how I have been making it seem like these texts and pictures were from Oliver."

"They were from you."

"Yes."

"Why?"

"That's what we are here to explain." Felicity said looking Thea directly in the eye. She reconsidered one more time if this was the only way. Oliver did not want his sister involved in this. He risked his life to save her and now she was potentially putting her in danger, but realistically her being continually in Malcolm Merlyn's world had to be at least as dangerous and frankly Felicity was willing to allow Thea to be exposed to some danger if it meant saving Oliver's life. Let the choice be on her.

"Then explain." Thea said sharply. "Oliver isn't in Argentina?"

"No, but that's not where we need to start."

"No, you'll want to start by telling me he is the Arrow I suppose."

. . .


	3. Chapter 3

"_Then explain." Thea said sharply. "Oliver isn't in Argentina?"_

"_No, but that's not where we need to start."_

"_No, you'll want to start by telling me he is the Arrow I suppose."_

"You know?" Roy demanded, incredulous. Felicity on the other hand was not entirely surprised. Thea was a smart girl who, by all accounts, knew her brother very well before the island. It wasn't entirely shocking that after 2 and half years of watching him pretend to be less than he was she had caught on.

"When?" Felicity asked unable to contain her curiosity but fairly certain she knew.

"I suspected the day my mother was shot at two years ago." Thea said. "But I wanted him to come to me when he was ready so I didn't push. After Slade I realized how well he kept secrets and I told myself it didn't matter either way. I tried not to notice all of the clues when we came back from Corto Maltese, but when he rescued me from that female assassin I knew."

Felicity filed that information away for digestion at a future day and time. For now she forced herself to focus on the task at hand and not analyzing all of Thea's actions since her most recent kidnapping (was that the third one?) to see if there were clues to her awareness.

"Okay, well that simplifies things." Felicity said moving forward. "Yes, Oliver is the Arrow. You might have a lot of questions surrounding that but what we came to talk to you about something more specific. He left three and a half weeks ago because Malcolm put you in danger."

"What do you mean?" Thea stood, not quickly but her reaction was swift enough to put Felicity on alert that Malcolm was going to be the touch point, but she had already assumed that. There was no way around the whole truth though and even if there were she wouldn't have taken it. Wouldn't have taken the chance that leaving something out could jeopardize them getting what they needed from Thea and consequently Malcolm.

"Thea, I am going to show you something that will upset you, but you have to see it in order to understand what is happening with Oliver." With that Felicity handed Thea her phone onto which she had copied the video Malcolm had sent Oliver. Not that Oliver was aware of this, but Felicity was all about being prepared for all contingencies. It pained her to have to show Thea what she had done, but it was absolutely necessary for her to understand what Malcolm had done and the danger he had placed her in.

"What is this?" Thea demanded after watching the video several times. She threw the phone down and looked at it in disgust before turning accusing eyes on Roy and Felicity.

"Malcolm made that video the night he drugged you and made you kill Sara." Roy said quietly. A year ago he would have reached for her hand to comfort her knowing this news was more than anyone should have to bear, but Thea was different now, stronger in some ways that were good to see but harder in ways that worried him too. It was this hardness that he knew would resist any comfort he might try and offer.

"I didn't kill Sara." Thea declared. "I would never do that. I wasn't here. I couldn't have. I wouldn't have."

Felicity had pulled out her tablet during this predictable denial. Who would believe themselves capable of murdering a friend they had no memory of even seeing in the past six months.

"This is security footage from your arrival in Starling in October." She said as she played the few seconds of the recording of Thea and Malcolm descending from their private plane at Starling International. Letting Thea watching it several times Felicity retrieved her phone from the couch where it had been thrown and called up the next piece of the puzzle. "This is a description of the drug, Votoura, Malcolm gave you which made you vulnerable to suggestion and also made you forget everything that happened while you were taking it."

"Please don't think for a minute I believe any of this. But just out of curiosity - Why would you want me to? What are you trying to get from me? Where is Oliver?"

Felicity wasn't put off but Thea's incredulity. It was a lot to take in and without the missing piece of Oliver's sacrifice there was really no incentive to make the leap. She pushed on.

"We're getting there." She said patiently. "As I think you know Malcolm was a member of the League of Assassins. Because of all of the people he killed with the earth quake machine the League, which has surprisingly fussy rules about behavior, has been after him." Knowing some of this was news to Thea and seeing her try and school her reactions Felicity couldn't help but press this issue. "He hasn't only been hiding from the authorities here in Starling. The League has and will hunt him wherever he goes and they are a much greater threat to a man of your father's means and abilities than any police force. Recently however he came up with a solution to this problem."

"And what was that?" A clearly angry Thea demanded. "How does me killing Sara erase his blood debt?"

Felicity was surprised. She had not used the phrase blood debt. That meant Thea knew about Malcom's problem with the League. But upon consideration it made sense. Thea already knew he had killed hundreds of people with his earthquake machine, and seemed shockingly unconcerned with it. He really had nothing to lose by telling her what else this heinous act had cost him.

"If the leader of the League, Ra's Al Ghul, is killed all blood debts owed him are erased. But the only way to even have the opportunity to do this is in a trial by combat. The only reason one would have to request a trial by combat is if you are subject to League justice." Felicity paused here and moved backwards in the story wanting Thea to understand the full extent of what Malcolm had done. "Sara Lance was also a member of the League. Four weeks ago Nyssa, Ra's Al Ghul's daughter, came to Starling to tell us that if we did not find Sara's killer within forty-eight hours the League would kill fifty innocent people every day until we did."

"They came to Oliver with this threat?" Thea asked.

"Yes and then he told Roy and I about it." Felicity confirmed.

"And Mr. Diggle." Thea added. "He's been working with Oliver the longest hasn't he?"

Again impressed and sticking with her decision not to try and deceive the younger woman Felicity nodded.

"And Dig. I had already asked a friend to analyze the DNA on the arrow, but at this point I put a rush order on that particular favor. The result they came back with shocked us all."

"It said I did it?"

"No. Matching 15 of 16 DNA markers it said Oliver had. He was in the SCPD database from his arrest two years ago so when I entered the results he came up. His first conclusion was that someone was setting him up and his first suspect was Malcolm because Malcolm had the most to gain by pitting him against the League."

"But you had another theory?" Thea guessed.

"It was suggested that another explanation for the partial match was that you could be responsible. At this point we knew you had lied about knowing Malcolm was alive. When we found the footage of you coming to Starling we thought you had also lied about returning. After Oliver confronted you as the Arrow we also knew you were keeping the fact that Malcolm was training you from Oliver. He didn't want to believe it. Wouldn't believe it even when the forensic and circumstantial evidence seemed to lead in that direction, but then Malcolm showed up here and filled in the missing piece with that video. He told Oliver he had drugged you and you had no memory of what you had done but the League wouldn't care. They would kill you unless he confessed to killing Sara himself and then challenged Ra's to trial by combat as would be his right."

"No, my father would never . . ."Thea protested going over to the wall of windows, turning her back on Roy and Felicity.

"Oliver had no choice, Thea. Malcolm gave him none, but know that he believed he could win because it was what he needed to do to protect you. He would do anything to protect you."

"That's what he said . . ." Thea said quietly.

"What?" Roy asked.

"He came here. It must have been right before he left and he told me Malcolm couldn't love me because he wasn't capable of love. Then he told me he would do anything to protect me. Oh my God!" With that she collapsed to the ground in a heap of sobbing tears.

Felicity and Roy looked at each other in confusion and then moved to either side of the crying girl.

"Thea we aren't here because Oliver has . . . we don't know what happened to him. That's why we need your help." Felicity said.

"You don't know." Thea spat abruptly standing and dislodging the comforting arms Roy and Felicity had both placed around her shoulders. "Well I do."

Once again Felicity and Roy exchanged looks of confusion. Dig piped up on the comms. "Felicity, what is she talking about?" Felicity turned to where she knew he was watching and shrugged her shoulders before turning back to Thea.

"Oliver is dead."

They had been so careful never to even mention death as a possibility as they discussed Oliver these past weeks let alone say his name and dead in the same sentence that these words were especially shocking to Felicity. She felt like someone had punched her in the gut. Then she just got pissed that this girl who Oliver went to ends of the earth to protect seemed to have so little faith in him.

"Don't say that. You have no idea what Oliver is capable of. You have no idea that things he has been through and overcome. The people he has fought and won." Felicity was just getting warmed up, but Thea stopped her.

"It doesn't matter. No one can defeat Ra's Al Ghul. He is a demon. A monster. If half of what my father has told me about him is true then Oliver never stood a chance and Malcolm did not send Oliver there to erase a blood debt but to have him killed. He has never liked sharing me with my brother I suppose it was only a matter of time before . . . this was his way of eliminating someone he saw as a rival for my affections."

Felicity remembered Oliver saying something similar when Nyssa first came to Starling about how they couldn't kill her because if half of what he had heard about Ra's Al Ghul were true they did not want to him anywhere near Starling. Her mind was reeling. In the hundreds of contingencies she had considered this was not something she had thought of. It couldn't be. Oliver wouldn't have fallen for that. Then again even if he knew that was Malcolm's intent what could he do? The danger to Thea was the same whether Malcom intended him to live or die. No, Oliver would have gone regardless, but how did she not see this? .

"Felicity." John's voice spoke in her ear. Realizing she had been silent for too long Felicity tried to pull herself back and assess the situation.

"Right well Malcolm's intent aside Oliver did go because he had to. If he had not confessed to the murder either you or fifty innocent people would have been killed." She would not have his sacrifice belittled. "What we need to know now is where he is." Felicity raised her hand to stop another angry, tearful protest from Thea. "No, we don't know for sure and until we do we will not underestimate your brother. He is strong and brave and he has a lot to live for." At this a pang of guilt shot through her as she realized she had left him with one less thing. He didn't have the knowledge that she loved him. Could that have made a difference? Did she matter that much to him?

Thea looked at her for a beat seeming to consider her words then she nodded and Felicity felt like she was choosing hope in that moment and she was proud of her and knew Oliver would have been too. "What do you want me to do?"

"You need to get your father to go to the League and find out what happened." Felicity said simply. "We have no way of knowing anything. We don't even know where the duel took place or when. We have a contact number for Nyssa but of course she is not answering and it is an untraceable line. Your father is our only possible connection to the League. We need him to find Oliver for us."

"Why would he do that? He has been hiding from the League for years."

"He'll do it because you ask. Because you'll tell him you know what he did. He'll do it because if he doesn't," Felicity took a breath not wanting to issue this threat but knowing Malcolm would need it. "We will send the video to Nyssa."

Thea looked Felicity in the eye for a long moment after she had said this and Felicity almost took it back.

"You have to be willing to do it, Felicity. Malcolm will not expose himself unless he believes I am in real danger."

"I don't think I can." Felicity admitted. She hated the weakness that made her say this but it was the truth. Offering Thea up to the League would dishonor what Oliver had done and whether he was alive or . . . she could not do that. Not to mention the fact that she could not bring herself to put Thea in potential mortal danger because no matter what she hoped Malcolm was still a wild card.

"Can you set up something so that it will be sent automatically unless something happens?"

"Of course." Seriously, computers 101 much?

"Then do that." Thea instructed. "I will go to Malcolm today. I will tell him that you showed me the video, but I will not tell him that I know he is behind it. I will tell him that it will automatically be sent to Nyssa at noon on Saturday unless Oliver is brought back."

"I don't know if you should lie to him." Felicity said running the plan through her mind and looking for holes and flaws. "If Malcolm suspects he may doubt the whole thing."

"He won't. I promise. He can't know I know his role because then he will realize I am on your side and he will doubt your resolve to turn me over to the League. He cannot see any weakness or he will exploit it. Oliver would sacrifice for me, die for me, but he has no reason to think any of you have any loyalty to me and we can't give him a reason to suspect otherwise."

"Okay." Felicity said.

"Okay." Roy agreed.

"I won't contact you at all until we have word, but I will be with Malcolm every moment I am able. So as soon as there is news I will know."

The three of them didn't say anything else as Roy and Felicity gathered their things and shuffled out the door. Nor did Felicity and Roy speak as they made their way to the Foundry. Diggle was there waiting for them. Felicity thought she was keeping it together but one look at Diggle's kind knowing eyes and the tears began to fall. She collapsed into his arms and stayed there until she heard Roy return which was weird because she hadn't even heard him leave. Stupid stealthy Oliver protégé.

"I brought Big Belly Burger." He said simply and the three of them settled in to their meal on the med table talking of Sara's latest antics, Roy's progress with the bow or Felicity's string of incompetent assistants at Palmer Technologies. Nothing that mattered as much as the things they were all thinking the most about. Those things stayed inside. Like the thoughts Felicity could not escape that had now coalesced into a deep, panic inducing fear that if only Oliver had known three things instead of two he may . . . but maybe he did anyway. She just couldn't escape the thought.

It was forever, it was the blink of an eye. Somehow it was Saturday and Felicity woke up to the sounds of Roy and Dig sparing. She hadn't slept there every night since Oliver left, but she stayed more often than not and every night since they spoke with Thea. She realized it must be later than she usually slept as she was generally halfway through her morning routine before either man made an appearance. She scooted to the bathroom, quickly made herself presentable, turned the coffee pot on, watered the fern and then turned to the dueling duo.

"What time is it?" Her eyes were having trouble focusing. She had gotten more sleep than usual she was fairly certain, maybe three hours, but the nightmares made sure it was anything but restorative and until she had coffee very few of her organs, including her eyes, were not working properly.

"10:30." Dig said and the three of them gathered around the small table where the coffee brewed.

"No word?" She asked needlessly. Of course there was no word. They would have said.

"No." Roy confirmed with a squeeze to her shoulder so like those Oliver used to give her. Tears pricked her eyes, but she would not let them fall. He was alive. She would know if he wasn't so she would not waste time or tears grieving.

"Do you think you could try and call Thea?" She asked Roy. "I mean you guys are friends, I mean sort of. You're exes and you work for her so . . ."

"I could . . ."

Before Roy could respond the sound of footsteps was heard on the stairs. All three heads whipped in that direction and all three bodies tensed upon seeing who it was.

Malcolm Merlyn.

"Oliver Queen is dead." He said with deadly certainly before placing something black and bloody on the table.

He may have said more. She was sure there had been threats about Thea, about their knowledge of him and his connection to the League, but all she could recall were these words. These horrible, empty, soul crushing words. But she couldn't feel them. They didn't move past her mind to her heart because she knew as sure as she knew anything in this world they were simply not true.

Oliver Queen was alive.


End file.
